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CONGO 


MISSION. 

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BY 


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RE V.  EV  F.  MERRIAM 


THIRD  EDITION. 


BOSTON  : 

AMERICAN  BAPTIST  MISSIONARY  UNION, 


TREMONT  TEMPLE. 

1884. 


MAP  OF  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


I.  THE  COUNTRY. 

CENTRAL  AFRICA  has  been  compared  to  an  inverted  saucer. 
It  is  a  high  plateau  of  from  two  to  four  thousand  feet  elevation, 
surrounded  by  an  elevated  ridge,  from  which  the  land  slopes  rap¬ 
idly  away  to  the  north  and  south,  and  on  the  east  and  west  to  the 
sea.  The  edge  of  this  plateau  at  the  north  is  between  four  and 
eight  degrees  north  latitude  ;  on  the  south  it  reaches  nearly  to 
Cape  Colony ;  while  on  the  east  and  west  it  is  seldom  more  than 
one  or  two  hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  In  consequence  of  this 
peculiar  formation  of  the  country,  the  navigation  of  all  the  rivers 
draining  Central  Africa  is  interrupted  by  cataracts  in  their  lower 
courses.  Says  Mr.  Keith  Johnston,  “  It  is  owing  mainly  to  this 
physical  cause  that  the  African  continent  has  remained  for  so  many 
centuries  a  sealed  book  to  the  civilized  world.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  must  be  observed,  that,  when  these  outer  barriers  have  been 
passed,  the  great  interior  of  the  land  in  its  most  productive  regions 
possesses  a  network  of  vast  rivers  and  lakes,  unsurpassed  in  extent 
by  those  of  any  country  in  the  world,  by  means  of  which  the 
resources  of  Central  Africa  may  in  future  be  thoroughly  developed.” 

THE  CONGO  VALLEY  far  exceeds  any  other  portion  of  Central 
Africa  in  the  extent  of  country  which  may  be  reached  by  its  navi¬ 
gable  streams,  the  variety  and  abundance  of  its  products,  and  the 
number  and  character  of  its  peoples.  It  includes  practically  the 
whole  country  from  three  degrees  north  latitude  to  twelve  degrees 
south  of  the  equator,  and  from  the  west  coast  to  about  thirty-two 
degrees  east  longitude,  or  two-thirds  the  way  across  the  continent. 
Leaving  out  the  great  Desert  of  Sahara,  this  territory  is  about  one- 
third  of  the  inhabited  portions  of  Africa,  and  is  estimated  to  con¬ 
tain  more  than  2,500,000  square  miles,  or  considerably  more  than 
the  whole  United  States,  excluding  Alaska.  The  Congo  River  is 
navigable  for  vessels  of  five  thousand  tons  to  Vivi,  one  hundred 


4 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


and  ten  miles  from  its  mouth.  Then  come  the  Livingstone  Falls, 
thirty-two  in  number,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  miles  in 
length.  From  Stanley  Pool,  at  the  head  of  these  falls,  the  Congo 
is  navigable  for  vessels  of  light  draught  to  Stanley  Falls,  one  thou¬ 
sand  miles ;  and  it  is  estimated  that  branches  of  the  river  furnish 
a  navigable  way  of  four  thousand  miles  more. 

THE  PRODUCTS  of  the  Congo  Valley,  owing  to  the  fertility  of 
the  land,  the  location  in  the  tropics,  and  the  elevation  above  the 
sea,  are  exceedingly  rich  and  varied.  Much  of  the  country  is  now 
covered  with  a  dense  forest,  which  may  furnish  the  world  with  an 
indefinite  supply  of  ornamental  and  useful  woods.  The  ground, 
when  cultivated,  yields  freely  all  the  products  of  a  tropical  clime, 
with  many  of  those  usually  grown  only  in  the  temperate  zones. 
The  extent  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  the  country  is  wholly  unknown 
at  present,  but  the  herds  of  elephants  roaming  its  forests  must  be 
the  chief  supply  of  the  ivory  trade  in  the  future.  Mr.  Stanley,  in 
his  great  voyage  down  the  Congo,  saw  immense  stores  of  ivory 
lying  in  the  native  villages,  unvalued  on  account  of  the  difficulties 
of  transportation.  The  trade  of  the  Congo  Valley  with  England 
already  amounts  to  six  million  dollars  per  year,  and  its  commerce 
will  have  a  vast  and  rapid  increase  as  soon  as  better  facilities  of 
communication  are  provided.  Mr.  Keith  Johnston  says,  “The 
greater  portion  seems  to  be  densely  peopled  with  numerous  tribes, 
and  to  possess  inexhaustible  natural  resources.” 

THE  CLIMATE. — Africa  is  the  warmest  continent  of  the  globe  ; 
and  the  Congo  V alley,  lying  under  and  near  the  equator,  might  be 
expected  to  be  the  hottest  part  of  Africa,  but  such  is  not  the  case. 
As  it  is  nowhere  less  than  twelve  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  after 
passing  the  Livingstone  Falls,  the  climate  is  more  moderate  even 
under  the  equator  than  many  parts  of  the  coast  of  Africa  to  the 
north  or  south ;  and,  as  a  place  of  residence,  the  valley  in  the  inte¬ 
rior  is  to  be  preferred  to  any  portions  of  Africa  near  the  sea, 
except  perhaps  in  the  extreme  south.  As  to  the  healthfulness  of 
the  country,  Mr.  Stanley  says  that  “  apart  from  a  little  risk  of  fever, 
when  passing  up  the  mouth  of  the  river,  there  is  no  reason  why 
white  men  should  not  enjoy  as  good  health  in  the  Congo  Valley  as 
in  England.”  All  the  deaths  among  his  own  men  he  attributes  to 
gross  imprudence,  and,  above  all,  to  reckless  exposure  in  the  sun, 
and  the  incautious  use  of  alcoholic  drinks.  Mr.  H.  H.  Johnston,  a 
recent  traveller  on  the  river,  calls  the  Lower  Congo  not  unhealthful 
for  a  tropical  coast,  and  says,  “  Beyond  Stanley  Pool  I  can  only 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


5 


call  the  temperature  delightful.  It  ranges  at  such  a  place  as 
Msuata,  for  instance,  from  87°  in  the  shade  at  noon  to  6o°  at  two 
in  the  morning ;  and  this  in  the  rainy  or  hot  season.  The  highest 
temperature  I  have  ever  observed  at  Vivi  was  98°  in  the  shade,  on 
a  very  hot  day.  It  is  quite  possible  to  walk  about  all  through  the 
midst  of  the  day,  and  not  feel  the  heat  disagreeable,  provided  you 
wear  a  helmet,  and  carry  an  umbrella.”  It  is  now  seen  that  the 
loss  of  so  many  missionaries  as  have  already  died  on  the  Congo 
has  been  due  chiefly  to  exposure  and  over-exertion.  As  the  con¬ 
ditions  of  living  in  the  Congo  country  are  becoming  better  under¬ 
stood,  there  is  no  doubt  the  security  to  life  and  health  will  be 
greater. 

THE  PEOPLE.  —  Stanford  gives  a  list  of  six  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  tribes  in  Africa,  speaking  different  dialects  ;  but  many  of  these 
tribes  are  of  the  same  race.  In  the  north  the  chief  race  is  the 
Berber ;  in  the  Soudan,  the  Foulahs ;  in  the  south  are  found  the 
Kafirs  and  the  Hottentots  ;  while  the  vast  regions  of  Central  Africa, 
from  six  degrees  north  of  the  equator  to  Cape  Colony,  and  from 
the  Indian  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  are  peopled  by  variations  of  the 
great  Bantu  race.  All  the  people  of  equatorial  Africa,  therefore, 
speak  cognate  dialects  of  what  is  really  one  great  language,  or 
family  of  languages,  of  which  Mr.  R.  N.  Cust  reckons  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  sixty-eight  dialects.  The  Suaheli  of  the  east  coast,  Mr. 
Stanley  found,  could  be  understood  on  the  lower  Congo.  Is  it 
not  possible  that  one  written  language  may  serve  for  these  millions 
of  people?  Mr.  H.  Grattan  Guinness  has  prepared  a  grammar 
and  dictionary  of  the  Congo  language,  and  finds  it  rich  in  words 
and  inflections,  and  admirably  adapted  to  literary  purposes.  The 
character  of  the  people  in  the  Congo  Valley  varies  much  with 
different  tribes  and  locations  :  some  are  warlike,  some  are  peace¬ 
ful  ;  a  few  are  cannibals  ;  and  some  tribes,  like  the  Basongi  encoun¬ 
tered  by  Lieuts.  Pogge  and  Wissmann,  are  agricultural,  and  have 
attained  a  degree  of  civilization  of  their  own  kind.  All  the  tribes 
of  the  Congo,  as  far  as  noticed,  are  intelligent,  brave,  and  well- 
developed  physically.  In  religion  they  are  pagans,  pure  and 
simple,  and  offer  the  most  favorable  field  for  the  introduction  of 
Christianity.  The  population  of  the  Congo  Valley  is  estimated  at 
forty-nine  millions,  or  nearly  that  of  the  United  States.  Who  can 
predict  what  these  swarming  millions,  in  their  fertile  and  beautiful 
country,  may  become  when  brought  into  the  blessed  light  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ? 


ON  THE  UPPER  CONGO  RIVER. 


THE  CO  EGO  MISSION. 


7 


II.  THE  LIVINGSTONE  INLAND  MISSION. 

Mr.  Henry  M.  Stanley  reached  Boma,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Congo,  Aug.  7,  1877,  nine  hundred  and  ninty-nine  days  after 
leaving  Zanzibar,  on  the  east  coast.  In  a  few  months  after  the 
tidings  of  his  long  and  perilous  journey  “  through  the  Dark  Conti¬ 
nent  ”  reached  England,  the  Lord  stirred  the  hearts  of  a  few  of 
his  servants  to  attempt  the  evangelization  of  the  immense  regions 
now  for  the  first  time  opened  to  the  knowledge  of  the  civilized 
world.  They  were  Messrs.  J.  and  R.  Cory,  and  the  Rev.  A.  Tilly, 
of  Cardiff ;  James  Irvine,  Esq.,  Liverpool;  the  Right  Hon.  Lord 
Polworth  ;  T.  Coates,  Esq.,  Paisley;  John  Houghton,  Esq.,  Liver¬ 
pool  ;  W.  T.  Berger,  Esq.,  Cannes ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Grattan  Guin¬ 
ness,  London.  Rev.  A.  Tilly  of  Cardiff  was  the  first  secretary  of 
the  misson.  These  friends  banded  together,  and  acted  as  the 
council  of  the  mission  until  Oct.  8,  1880,  when  the  responsible 
management  was  given  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Guinness ; 
the  others  continuing  to  act  as  council  of  conference. 

The  first  two  missionaries  of  the  Livingstone  Inland  Mission 
sailed  from  Liverpool  for  the  Congo  in  January,  1878,  and  reached 
Banana,  a  small  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  at  the  end 
of  February.  In  June,  two  more  followed  ;  and  “  Cardiff  station,” 
named  for  the  place  where  the  enterprise  had  its  origin,  was  estab¬ 
lished  a  few  miles  below  the  Yellala  Falls.  Palaballa,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  was  soon  afterward  selected  as  the  second 
station ;  and  here  Mr.  James  Telford  died,  and  was  buried  in  the 
first  Christian  grave  on  the  Congo.  In  1879  three  male  mission¬ 
aries  were  sent  out,  —  one  accompanied  by  his  wife, — and  also  the 
wife  of  one  already  on  the  field.  A  third  station  was  established 
at  Banza  Mantika.  In  1880  five  missionaries,  with  the  wives  of 
two,  went  to  the  Congo  ;  and  a  fourth  station  was  founded  at 
Matanddi  Minkanda,  opposite  Vivi,  and  the  fifth,  forty  or  fifty 
miles  beyond  Banza  Mantika,  at  Bemba  in  Manyanga.  In  1881 
seven  missionaries  were  sent  to  the  Congo  ;  and  two  died,  Mr. 
Adam  McCall,  the  leader  of  the  mission,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Richards, 
the  first  female  missionary  to  the  Congo.  She  reached  Africa  in 
April,  1880,  and  died  at  Banza  Mantika,  Nov.  13.  1881. 

Twenty-two  missionaries  had  now  been  sent  out  :  four  had 
died,  three  had  been  recalled  as  unsuited  to  the  service,  and  three 
had  returned  to  England  to  recruit  their  health,  leaving  twelve 
still  on  the  field.  In  this  year  (1881)  an  iron  house,  a  special  gift 


8 


TIIE  CONGO  MISSION. 


to  the  mission,  was  sent  out  to  be  erected  at  Banana,  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river ;  and  also  the  steam-launch  “  Livingstone,”  intended 
for  the  navigation  of  the  Lower  Congo.  The  expenses  of  the 
mission  this  year  were  nearly  twenty  thousand  dollars.  In  De¬ 
cember,  1 88 1,  and  January,  1882,  three  missionaries  made  a  jour¬ 
ney  to  Stanley  Pool  from  Bemba  station  on  the  north  of  the  river. 
A  station  was  established  in  March,  1882,  at  Mukimbungu,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite  the  old  station  at 
Bemba  in  Manyanga,  which  was  abandoned,  as  it  was  decided  to  be 
more  advantageous  to  establish  the  route  from  the  coast  to  Stanley 
Pool  by  the  south  side  of  the  river.  In  August  another  station 
was  planted,  at  Lttkungu;  and  July  31  the  first  two  converts  of 
the  mission  were  baptized  by  Mr.  Guinness  in  London,  where  the 
young  men  had  been  taken  to  assist  in  reducing  the  language  to  a 
written  form.  The  third  station  founded  in  this  busy  year  was  at 
Mukimvika,  on  the  south  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  Congo,  which 
was  done  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  the  coast  tribes  of  that 
region.  Banana  was  abandoned  for  health  reasons.  In  Febru¬ 
ary,  1883,  a  site  for  a  station  was  secured  at  Leopoldville,  Stanley 
Pool ;  and  thus  the  chain  of  stations,  seven  in  number,  completed 
from  the  coast  to  the  head  of  Livingstone  Falls.  May  29  the 
stern  paddle-wheel  steamer  “  Henry  Reed,”  intended  for  the 
navigation  of  the  Upper  Congo,  was  launched  in  London,  and 
shipped  via  Rotterdam  in  November.  The  vessel  was  so  con¬ 
structed  as  to  be  taken  in  pieces,  and  packed  in  five  hundred  small 
man-loads,  for  transportation  from  the  coast  to  the  Pool.  She  is 
seventy-one  feet  long,  ten  feet  beam,  and  three  feet  deep,  with 
light  draught.  In  September,  1883,  the  mission-staff  consisted  of 
twenty-one  members,  —  sixteen  men  and  five  women,  —  of  whom 
five  were  in  England  on  furlough. 

Early  in  1884  Dr.  Sims,  of  the  Leopoldville  station,  made  a 
journey  to  Bolobo ,  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  above  Stanley 
Pool,  and  established  a  station  there.  The  river  is  here  four  miles 
wide,  and  shallow  in  places.  The  district  is  very  populous,  the 
villages  succeeding  each  other  on  the  bank  of  the  river  almost 
without  a  break.  The  Bolobo  station  is  situated  on  a  bluff  rising 
directly  from  the  river.  The  country  in  the  vicinity  is  a  low  table¬ 
land.  The  whole  of  the  hull  of  the  “  Henry  Reed  ”  had  reached 
Stanley  Pool  early  in  April,  1884  ;  and  it  was  hoped  that  it  would 
soon  be  afloat  on  the  Pool,  from  which  there  is  open  to  it  a  stretch 
of  navigable  water  four  or  five  thousand  miles  in  length,  in  the 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


9 


most  fertile  country  on  the  globe,  and  inhabited  by  nearly  fifty 
millions  of  human  beings. 

Up  to  the  present  time  fifty  missionary  agents,  male  and  fe¬ 
male,  have  been  sent  to  the  Congo,  of  whom  ten  have  died,  and 
others  left  the  service.  The  present  staff  consists  of  twenty-six 
missionaries,  of  whom  three  are  now  in  England.  The  Congo 
language  has  been  reduced  to  writing,  a  grammar  and  dictionary 
published,  several  hopeful  converts  gained,  and  seven  stations 
established,  extending  more  than  five  hundred  miles  into  the  inte¬ 
rior.  The  whole  expense  of  the  mission  to  the  present  time  has 
been  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  This  work  was 
offered  to  the  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union  in  May,  1883  ; 
was  accepted  by  the  Society  and  Board  of  Managers  at  the  Annual 
Meetings  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  May  23  and  24,  1884,  and  by  the 
Executive  Committee,  after  a  full  conference  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Guinness,  Sept.  9,  1884.  The  formal  transfer  will  be  accom¬ 
plished  before  Jan.  1,  1885.  Although  its  English  friends  will  con¬ 
tinue  to  take  a  substantial  interest  in  it,  this  great  work  will  then 
look  to  the  Baptists  of  the  United  States  for  its  support  and  the 
means  for  farther  progress. 

III.  STATIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES. 

1.  MUKIMVIKA,  ESTABLISHED  1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephen  J.  White. 

Miss  Mary  E.  Cole. 

This  station  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  Congo, 
which  is  here  seven  and  one-half  miles  wide.  It  is  opposite 
Banana,  which  was  formerly  occupied  as  a  station,  but  abandoned 
because  not  favorable  to  health.  The  house,  of  wood  and  iron,  is 
on  high  ground,  dry  and  healthy.  The  station  is  held  for  the 
purpose  of  reaching  the  Congo  people  on  the  south  of  the  river, 
near  the  sea.  They  listen  well  to  the  gospel,  in  audiences  of  from 
forty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  and  more.  There  is  a  school  for 
children  connected  with  the  station. 


2.  PALABALLA,  1878. 


Mr.  Thomas  S.  Picton. 

Mrs.  Henry  Craven. 

Miss  Spearing. 

Francis  Walker,  )  native 
Robert  Walker,  >  assistants. 


I 


MAP  OF  THE  LOWER  CONGO 


THE  CONGO  MISSION.  n 

This  is  the  oldest  station  at  present  occupied  by  the  mission, 
and  the  second  established.  Being  the  headquarters  of  the  trans¬ 
port  service,  and  a  supply  depot  for  the  up-river  stations,  it  is  also 
at  present  the  largest  on  the  list.  It  is  one  hundred  and  ten  miles 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  twelve  miles  back  from  the  south 
bank,  on  an  elevated  plain,  which  makes  it  cooler  than  a  station  on 
the  river.  There  are  eleven  houses  and  outhouses  in  the  station, 
and  two  acres  of  land  planted  with  plantain-trees,  sweet-potatoes, 
maize,  beans,  etc.  Palaballa  contains  the  first  Christian  church 
and  the  first  Christian  grave  on  the  Congo.  The  natives  assemble 
in  good  numbers  to  hear  the  gospel,  and  Miss  Spearing  has  a 
school  which  is  making  fair  progress. 

3.  BANZA  MANTIKA,  1879. 

Mr.  Henry  Richards. 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Harvey. 

Mr.  Arthur  V.  Liley. 

This  station  is  forty  miles  beyond  Palaballa,  and  consists  of 
seven  buildings  on  three  acres  of  land,  which  easily  produce  an 
abundant  supply  of  plantains,  maize,  and  sweet-potatoes,  which  in 
this,  as  in  nearly  all  the  stations,  will  furnish  a  large  part  of  the 
food  needed  by  the  missionaries  and  their  helpers  and  pupils. 
Mr.  H.  H.  Johnston  thinks  that  all  of  the  necessities  of  life,  in  the 
line  of  food,  may  be  raised  in  the  stations ;  so  that  only  luxuries 
need  be  imported  from  Europe  and  America.  The  natives  are 
reached  by  preaching  in  the  villages  in  the  vicinity. 

4.  MUKIMBUNGU,  1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Clark. 

Mr.  P.  Frederickson. 

Mr.  N.  Westlind. 

•Miss  Skakle. 

This  station  consists  of  eight  houses  on  three  acres  of  land,  and 
is  finely  situated  on  the  brow  of  a  hill,  with  an  extended  view  of 
the  river.  It  is  forty  miles  from  Banza  Mantika.  Markets  are 
held  near  this  station  once  in  four  days  ;  which  call  together  large 
numbers  of  the  natives,  and  afford  fine  opportunities  for  reaching 
them  with  the  gospel.  There  is  a  school  for  children  in  the 
station. 

5.  LUKUNGU,  1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Ingham. 

Mr.  John  McKittrick. 

Miss  Emily  Harris. 


12 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


This  station  is  twenty-nine  miles  from  Mukimbungu,  and  has 
five  houses,  and  two  acres  of  land.  A  school  has  already  been 
started,  but  the  chief  work  of  the  station  hitherto  has  been  in  the 
carrier  service.  It  is  not  expected  to  be  so  in  the  future. 

6.  LEOPOLDVILLE,  NTAMO,  1883. 

Dr.  A.  Sims. 

Mr.  A.  Billington. 

Mr.  K.  J.  Petterson. 

Mr.  Glenesk. 

Leopoldville  is  the  English  name  given  by  Mr..  Stanley  to  the 
station  of  the  International  African  Association  at  Stanley  Pool ; 
and  Ntamo  is  the  native  name  of  the  place  at  which  the  station, 
that  of  the  English  Baptist  Mission,  and  of  the  Livingstone  In¬ 
land  Mission,  is  situated.  Stanley  Pool  is  a  widening  of  the  Congo 
River  at  the  head  of  Livingstone  Falls,  about  twenty-five  miles  long 
by  sixteen  broad,  and  is  the  starting-point  for  the  navigation  of 
the  long  reaches  of  the  Upper  Congo.  The  station  is  situated 
just  at  the  foot  of  the  Pool,  on  the  south  side,  where  the  river  nar¬ 
rows  before  entering  upon  its  tremendous  passage  through  the 
mountain  range,  where  it  descends  more  than  eleven  hundred  feet 
in  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles. 

The  people  about  Stanley  Pool  differ  in  tribe  and  dialect  from 
those  lower  down  the  river,  and  Dr.  Sims  is  engaged  in  reducing 
their  language  to  writing.  He  has  collected  about  one  thousand 
words  each  of  the  Bateke  and  Biansi  languages,  and  is  making 
good  progress  in  them.  The  tongues  of  these  people  are  called 
Kiteke  and  Kiansi ;  the  Congo  dialects  inflecting  by  the  first  sylla¬ 
ble,  instead  of  the  last  as  in  many  languages.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  steamer  “  Henry  Reed  ”  is  now  launched  on  Stanley  Pool, 
and  ready  for  her  errands  of  mercy  and  life  to  the  benighted 
pagans  of  Central  Africa.  Says  Mr.  H.  H.  Johnston  :  — 

“  Leopoldville,  situated  at  the  western  entrance  to  Stanley  Pool, 
is  destined  to  be  the  great  city  of  Central  Africa.  From  its  shores 
there  are,  according  to  Stanley’s  calculation,  4,520  miles  o>  free 
navigation  north  and  south  and  east,  into  the  heart  of  Africa.  It 
will  one  day  be  the  terminus  of  a  railway  from  the  coast,  and  the 
starting  point  of  a  river  journey  half  across  Africa.  The  ivory, 
copper,  and  iron  ;  the  spices,  the  wax,  and  the  gums  of  the  in¬ 
terior,  —  will  meet  in  its  marts  the  costumes  of  London  and  Paris, 
and  products  of  the  manufactures  of  the  Old  World.”  (p.  164.) 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


T3 


7.  BOLOBO,  1884. 

Lieut.  Theodore  H.  Hoste. 

Mr.  C.  B.  Banks. 

Mr.  James  B.  Eddie. 

Dr.  Sims  secured  the  ground  for  a  station  -at  this  place  early  in 
the  present  year.  It  is  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  above 
Stanley  Pool,  in  the  midst  of  a  densely  populated  country.  The 
station  is  on  a  bluff  rising  directly  from  the  river. 

IV.  REMARKS. 

The  advantages  of  the  Congo  Mission  are  :  — 

1.  A  COUNTRY  of  vast  extent,  and  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
fertile  in  the  world.  While  it  would  be  saying  too  much  to  claim 
:hat  the  Congo  Valley  is  as  favorable  to  health  as  England  or  the 
United  States,  it  is  the  most  healthful  of  the  regions  of  Central 
Africa,  and  probably  more  favorable  to  the  residence  of  white  men 
than  either  Burma  or  India.  The  Congo  gives  the  shortest  and 
best  access  to  Central  Africa  from  the  great  commercial  countries 
of  Europe  and  America,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  metropolis  of 
the  future  civilized  and  enlightened  Africa  will  be  on  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Congo.  These  great  commercial  prospects  promise 
an  easy  access  to  the  Congo  mission,  and  safety  and  protection  in 
the  prosecution  of  its  work. 

2.  A  PEOPLE  of  vigor  and  intelligence.  The  farther  travellers 
have  gone  into  the  interior,  the  finer  the  people  become.  In  the 
great  bend  south  of  the  Congo,  Lieuts.  Pogge  and  Wissmann 
found  a  people,  agricultural  in  their  pursuits,  peaceful  in  disposi¬ 
tion,  having  acquired  much  skill  in  working  metals,  and  with  towns 
laid  out  in  regular  plans,  one  of  which  is  fifteen  miles  long.  The 
people  of  the  .Congo  Valley  are  as  yet  in  pure  paganism.  Their 
religion  is  simple  fetichism.  Mohammedanism  is  making  rapid 
strides  in  Africa,  and  has  already  run  over  all  the  Soudan  country, 
but  has  not  reached  the  Congo  Valley  to  any  considerable  extent. 
How  great  an  advantage  it  is  to  be  able  to  prosecute  a  mission 
among  a  people  without  a  systematic  and  organized  religious 
system  may  be  seen  from  the  relative  progress  of  Christianity  in 
Burma  among  the  Burmans,  who  are  Buddhists,  and  of  whom  only 
about  twelve  hundred  are  now  Christians ;  and  among  the  Karens, 
who  are  simple  spirit-worshippers,  and  of  whom  about  twenty-four 
thousand  are  in  Christian  ■  churches.  Another  striking  illustration 
of  this  advantage'  is  seen  in  the  missions  to  the  Pacific  islands, 
where,  in  some  cases,  whole  populations  of  large  islands  have 


LEOPOLDVILLE  STATION  (NTAMO),  STANLEY  POOL. 


THE  CONGO  MISSION. 


l5 


yielded  to  the  gospel ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  missions  to 
Mohammedans,  from  whom  there  are  less  than  two  hundred  con¬ 
verts  in  all  the  world  to-day,  after  so  many  years  of  labor.  The 
conquest  of  Africa  lies  between  Mohammedanism  and  Christianity  ; 
and  in  the  Congo  mission,  American  Baptists  have  one  of  the  best 
positions  from  which  to  go  forward  and  win  the  heart  of  Africa  for 
Christ. 

3.  THE  WORK  IS  READY. — At  the  very  beginning  it  was  an¬ 
nounced  that  the  aim  of  the  Livingstone  Inland  Mission  was  to 
reach  the  millions  of  the  interior.  All  the  work  hitherto  done 
has  been  simply  preparatory.  Other  missions  on  the  east  and  on 
the  west  coasts  have  the  same  aim,  and  have  also  expended  many 
thousands  of  dollars  to  gain  but  a  foothold  in  the  great  interior. 
This  work  of  preparation,  costly  in  treasure  and  precious  lives, 
has  been  done  in  the  Congo  mission ;  and  the  heart  of  the  conti¬ 
nent  lies  open  before  us.  In  regard  to  the  Congo  mission,  it 
can  truly  be  said  of  American  Baptists,  “  Other  men  labored, 
and  ye  are  entered  into  their  labors.”  We  have  but  to  take 
the  work  all  ready  to  our  hands,  and  go  forward  to  the  assured 
victorv. 

J 

FINALLY.  —  It  is  the  firm  conviction  of  many  who  have  made 
a  special  study  of  the  world,  with  reference  to  missionary  work, 
that  all  things  being  considered,  country  and  climate,  races  and 
religion,  the  Congo  Valley  affords  the  grandest  opportunity  for 
fresh  missionary  enterprise  which  the  world  has  to  offer  to-day. 
More  than' this.  Looking  the  whole  world  over,  seeing  the  evan¬ 
gelized  portions,  it  is  certain  that  the  opening  for  new  missionary 
work  in  the  Congo  Valley  is  the  grandest  which  can  ever  be  offered 

to  the  Christians  of  the  world.  The  Congo  Valley  once  occupied 

* 

by  Christian  missions,  the  world  has  not  left  so  vast  and  needy  a 
territory,  so  rich  and  fair  a  country,  such  vigorous  and  increasing 
peoples.  It  has  been  predicted,  and  not  without  a  show  of  reason, 
that  the  African  is  to  be  the  race  of  the  future.  Without  doubt 
Africa  is  to  see  a  great  and  splendid  development  in  the  near 
future.  The  fairest  regions  of  this  goodly  heritage  are  open  be¬ 
fore  the  Congo  mission.  Shall  we  go  up  and  possess  the  land? 


THE  STEAMER  “HENRY  REED,”  UPPER  CONGO. 


